Dying Wish
by Luxorgirl
Summary: With his final breaths, Yugi makes a wish on the once again completed Puzzle that changes everything.  As Yami struggles to accept his partner's death and move on, he is confronted with Marik's evil...and a possible way to resurrect the dead.
1. Dying Wish

**A/N: **So this is an idea that I randomly came up with last night, and I just had to do it. I hope I've stayed true to the characters in this…I know that there are only two, but I can never really tell if I make Yami sound enough like Yami…so you'll have to tell me. Also, THIS STORY IS NOT YAOI. There will be a point in this chapter where it may seem like it…but it's not.

**Summary: **What if no one came in time to save Yugi from the burning warehouse? Yugi makes one last wish on the Puzzle he had just recompleted that changes everything. As Yami does everything in his power to resurrect his partner and deal with Marik, he discovers that there was more to the wish than he had originally thought.

Reviews would be nice! :)

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**Dying Wish**

The heat was unbearable.

Everything seemed like a horrible dream. That is, if I were capable of dreaming. I dreaded not having that luxury…because then, having my one and only partner on the brink of death might've been a nightmare. I would've taken the most disturbing nightmare my mind could stir up over the horrifying reality I was faced with.

"I can't…just leave you…"

Yugi was completing the Millennium Puzzle again. I could sense that much. It was almost done, but until it was once again whole, I wouldn't be able to communicate with him. I could feel each piece sliding into place…and I could feel the intense heat emanating from the flames.

Just as the last piece slid into place, there was a loud crash. I appeared behind Yugi and watched him in disdain as he attempted to dislodge the Puzzle from the dueling platform. No matter how hard the little one pulled, the pin holding the necklace in place wouldn't budge.

I sighed in resignation. There was only one thing left to do.

"Leave me here, Yugi."

Yugi shot a glare over his shoulder. "No! We've come way too far, we've conquered way too much to just…to just let it end here…I can't leave you here!"

I took a step toward him. "You must, Yugi! Get of here while you still can, save yourself!"

Yugi shook his head defiantly. "I could never! If Joey, Tristan or Téa were trapped in here, I'd save them…you're no different! I would never leave a friend behind!"

He turned back to the Puzzle and once again began to pull. I walked to his side and watched him with great concern.

"Yugi, please…I would never be able to go on if you were to…"

"Don't worry! We'll get out of this, we always do!" Yugi cried out, but his feigned confidence couldn't hide the fear in his eyes. If he waited too long, he would die…and he knew it.

"I'm sure our friends are already sending for help…" Yugi said, his expression darkening with a frown. It was a rare sight to see Yugi Mutou frown. I hated seeing him like that.

"If our friends are indeed sending for help, then you can leave, and come back for me once it is safe."

Yugi's shoulders heaved. "N-no! By that time, it would already be too late…and I c-can't imagine life without you…"

If I still had a beating heart, it would've jumped at his words.

If I were a living person, I would've saved Yugi. I would've dragged him out of that warehouse, no matter how much he complained. But being the translucent spirit that I was, I couldn't do a single thing to protect him…

Yugi looked around and spotted an iron bar that must've fallen from the ceiling. He picked it up and placed it through the loop in the pin holding the Puzzle to the dueling platform. He pulled with all of his might, willing it to move. When it inched out slightly, Yugi's frown turned into a massive grin.

At the sight of that, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. Once the Puzzle was securely in Yugi's hands, he would leave the burning death trap. I looked at his face with renewed confidence, only to have it stolen away from me again.

His eyes had a dull shine to them, and they were halfway closed. I could see the exhaustion in them, and it tore at me relentlessly. His face looked ashen, and he had begun to cough. I knew that it was the start of something bad…though I wasn't entirely sure what it was.

I could see his muscles beginning to fail him. He was having difficulty pulling on the bar, his arms shook with the effort. However, the pin was once again inching out of the hole it had been nailed into. As it finally fell out completely, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Yugi pulled the bar out and dropped it onto the ground. He wrapped his arms around the golden object and stumbled blindly toward the exit…only to see that it was blocked by flaming pieces of wood. Yugi stared at the pile as if he didn't comprehend the situation. After a short moment, he looked around wildly for another exit, only to see that he was trapped inside.

Yugi clumsily backed away from the flames until he tripped over a piece of stray wood. He hit his back hard on the ground, knocking the wind out of him. He coughed and sputtered, struggling for air. I ran to him as fast as I could and knelt beside him. I could see the tears running down his blackened cheeks as he looked at me with immense sadness.

I felt a sharp pain. I wasn't even sure where it had originated…I just hurt. Every part of me was in agony as I watched him struggle to stay conscious. I had never felt such physical or emotional pain…even without my memories; I knew that it was true.

Yugi opened his mouth to speak and took another shallow breath. "I'm sorry, spirit…I've failed you. I've failed you…"

I shook my head and I could feel the ghost of tears on my face. "No, no Yugi, don't say that, don't ever! You have not failed me, and you have not failed yourself! Get up, you _must _fight! Please!"

Yugi smiled at me sadly. "Spirit…I only wish that you could have your own body, separate from mine…then you could've gone to school with me, gone to football games…"

I laughed, but it was as empty as I felt. "Yugi, you don't like football."

Yugi gave a small chuckle before going into another coughing fit. He took a moment to steady himself before looking into my eyes once more. "You should be able to go to movies, go out with friends, meet new people…and have a life beyond me."

I reached out and placed my hand over his, which was still wrapped around the Puzzle. His hand felt so cold, and the unbearable pain intensified. "I don't _want _a life beyond you…you are my world, partner, you're my life. I would go to the ends of the Earth for you, you must know that…"

That's when a thought occurred to me. I looked down at my hand and realized that it wasn't just going through Yugi's like it normally did. I was touching him.

Was it some sort of sick joke? Did the gods want to give us one moment where we could hold each other before the end? My tears streamed down my face as I reached both hands out and pulled Yugi to my chest. The pointed edges of the Puzzle pressed against my chest, but it didn't matter to me.

"I can't live without you, Yugi!" I cried out. I could feel him sobbing into my chest. "I just…I just can't, because I…because I…"

There was a loud clash behind us. I whipped my head around to look, and I saw that part of the wall had collapsed. Not only that, but there were people on the other side.

Men in yellow coats streamed into the building, sprinting toward us at top speed. I just stared at them, my hold on Yugi tightening protectively. I couldn't be sure if those people were there to help Yugi or just to steal him away from me.

Yugi was so still in my arms. It frightened me, so I loosened my hold to get a look at his face. His eyes were closed, and his mouth was slightly agape. I shook my head in denial. That couldn't be the end…there was so much we had to look forward to. We still had a destiny to fulfill, right?

"Yugi…" I whispered as my throat closed up. I gasped for breath until I heard footsteps directly behind me.

"Sir…let him go."

I blinked. I looked down at Yugi's face once again and shook my head. "I can't…I can't…"

"If we have any chance of saving him, you must!"

I released Yugi and backed away. I vaguely heard water as the men attempted to put out the flames. My eyes didn't leave my partner's face, however. My partner's normally vibrant face had turned into one that was lifeless and sickly. I hoped with all my might that the strange men could save Yugi, but part of me knew that it was hopeless.

"Sir, come with me, you need to get checked out."

I blinked again. I didn't understand. How could those people possibly see me? I was a spirit, only Yugi could see me…

The first man picked Yugi up, cradling him gently in his arms, and proceeded to walk to the crumbled wall of the warehouse. The second, however, knelt down next to me.

He tenderly placed a hand on my shoulder, sending a jolt of confusion through me when it actually landed. I could feel his hand. He could see me, and he could _feel _me.

"Please, we need to find out how much smoke you inhaled, and we need to check for burns…"

I absent-mindedly stood and followed the man. As we walked, though, my mind was only wrapping around one thing.

I placed my hand over my chest and felt as my heart pumped blood through my veins. I gasped and new tears pricked at my eyes.

Yugi could very well be gone. I might've lost him forever…

But for some reason, _I_ was _alive_.


	2. Alone

"…Yugi?"

My eyes were closed and I was lying down. Had it all been a nightmare? Was it just a horrible dream? But…how could that possibly be? I had never been able to dream in my ghostly state.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. I was breathing. I took one of my hands and placed it over my heart. Sure enough, it was beating rhythmically like a drum.

It hadn't all been a dream. It had been real, a living nightmare…I was alive. I was finally my own, complete person…and it came at a time where I no longer wanted it.

I opened my eyes, only to be blinded by the bright white walls around me. I heard an annoying, incessant beeping off to my right. I glanced over at it, only to see a monitor that displayed my heart rate. I had only been in a modern hospital once before, and I had never gotten past the entry way…but I assumed that was where I was.

I noticed for the first time that there was a mask over my nose and mouth. I frowned as my hand flew to it in a frenzied manner. Why was it there? What were the doctors doing to me?

I pulled it off and struggled to sit up. My heart was beating faster and faster as I noticed all of the strange wires and tubes that had been attached to me. Why couldn't I remember being taken to a hospital? Why were all of those strange contraptions attached to me?

I was afraid. Possibly for no reason at all, but still, I was afraid. Everything seemed so unfamiliar and strange that I was having difficulty calming myself.

I soon found that, without the mask, my breathing became more difficult. I frowned as I concentrated on inhaling and exhaling repeatedly. Why was it so hard?

I had so many questions, yet no one was around to answer them…

The door to my room opened and closed. My head snapped up as I looked at the man in the white coat standing there.

"Calm down, son…put that mask back on."

My hand, which was holding the mask, tensed. "Why? What are you doing to me?" I frowned at how hoarse my voice sounded.

I gestured to all of the tubes and wires, and then finally, the mask.

The doctor smiled nervously. "There was a bit of damage done to your esophagus and lungs. That mask was helping you breathe. You _can _breathe without it, but as I'm sure you have noticed, it is more difficult." When I nodded, he continued. "Those tubes were connected to your blood stream by a needle in order to give you a steady dosage of antibiotics…to fight infection. And as for those wires attached to your chest, well…that's how we can see your heart rate."

He walked over to the heart rate monitor and patted it gently. "Healthy as an ox."

I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "So…I'm alright?"

The doctor gave me a meaningful look. "Put that mask back on, and you will be. Because of the smoke you inhaled, the amount of oxygen in your blood is lower than normal. Also, you have suffered slight burns in your throat, and your lungs were damaged by the smoke. It will all heal in time."

The smoke…the fire…the unbearable heat…

My eyes dropped down to my hands. "Yugi…" I whispered fearfully.

"Yugi…Yugi Mutou."

I looked back up at the doctor. "Yes?"

The doctor pressed his lips together in a thin line as his expression turned grim. "He is…we did everything in our power…"

I didn't understand. I pulled the needle out of my wrist and flung the tubes aside. I ripped the wires off of my chest and jumped out of bed. The pain didn't matter to me, the fact that breathing was getting harder by the moment didn't matter to me…all that mattered was Yugi.

"Where _is _he?" I demanded heatedly.

The doctor stared at me in disdain. "Son, you need to calm down…don't make me sedate you…"

"Where is he?" I screamed furiously. "Tell me now!"

He sighed and looked away. "He's in the morgue."

I blinked at him. I had no idea what a morgue was. "Where is that?"

The doctor gave me an incredulous look. "Stop this. Get back in bed, now."

I pushed him aside violently and bolted out of the door. I sprinted down the hallway, reading each sign I came across, waiting to find the one that read 'morgue.' When I found it, it told me to head down to the basement level.

Eyes stared at me as I raced to the stairs and stumbled carelessly down each set until reaching the basement floor. The double doors marked 'morgue' had two windows, revealing a very dimly lit room. I quietly pushed one of the doors open and slipped inside.

The room was silent…frighteningly so, in fact. I tip toed through the room, looking for any sign of Yugi. I saw rows and rows of steel reinforced doors with labels on them. Part of me wanted to peek inside one, just to see what they held…but the other part of me knew that this room wasn't a happy one. This wasn't a room where I would find the news I so wished to hear.

Yet I pressed on. I finally came to what I assumed to be the main room of the morgue: there were a few large metal tables. On one there were scattered tools, on another was something covered in a plain, white sheet, and on another…items…various items that I instantly recognized.

I threw caution to the wind and ran to that table. My hands glided over leather tennis shoes…a blue, Domino High School uniform…a brown backpack…and the Millennium Puzzle.

My hand stopped on the Puzzle. Fear cut deep into my heart as I stared at all of Yugi's possessions. I tenderly picked up the Puzzle and examined it until realization struck me.

I dropped the Puzzle, allowing it to hit the metal table with a sickening clang.

I slowly turned around, the white sheet once again coming into view. I stepped toward it, but my legs felt like they were lead weights. I reached my hand out for the sheet, allowing it to hover over it as I hesitated. My hand started to shake as I allowed my mind to wander.

Eventually, I gritted my teeth and grabbed a handful of the sheet…I pulled it back part way…

I gasped and jumped away from the table. My heart hammered in my chest again and felt as if it were going to burst. Stone cold dread washed over me as I once again approached the form under the sheet. I peeled it back slightly and stared at the face.

It was the sweet cherubic face of a boy who had lost everything…to save _me_.

I opened my mouth to speak…or maybe it was to scream, but no sound came out. New tears pricked my eyes and I didn't even try to hold them back. I let them fall; I let myself cry in his presence.

I draped myself over his lifeless body and sobbed. It was my fault, it was _all _my fault…if it hadn't been for me, Yugi would've been fine, walking alongside Téa as they headed to their school…

I once again felt how difficult it was for me to breathe, but I didn't care. Crying seemed to make my breathing even more shallow and painful than before, but I let my tears fall anyway. I had killed my partner, my best friend, my brother…

"I'm sorry, Yugi…I'm so, so sorry…come back, I'll do anything, I swear it!" I choked out another sob and squeezed my eyes shut. "It should've been me…"

"There was nothing we could do."

I didn't look up. I recognized the voice of my doctor, and I instantly tensed. If he wanted me to leave Yugi, he would have to fight me first.

"The damage to his lungs was too extensive…and his esophagus…he would have never been able to breathe on his own again if he had survived. If we had gotten to him a bit sooner, maybe we could've put him on the transplant list, but…I don't know if he would've survived the wait."

I didn't want to hear that. I didn't want to know _any _of what he was telling me. It only made my guilt intensify. I was the reason he had been in that warehouse, I was the reason he had stayed inside instead of escaping while he had the chance…

"I'm sorry for your loss."

I slowly lifted my head. I gave that doctor the most hate filled glare I could muster up…but even then, I didn't hate him. I hated myself for what I had done to my partner.

"Your grandfather is upstairs waiting for you," the doctor said with a sad frown on his face.

I blinked at him. "My…grandfather?"

He nodded. "Yes, when I told him you were in the hospital, he seemed confused, but once he had gotten a glimpse of you while you were asleep, he seemed to understand…" His frown deepened. "You could almost say that he had no idea you existed…" he shook his head and gave a half-hearted laugh.

I frowned as well. Did Yugi's grandfather understand? Would he blame me for his _real _grandson's death?

I stood and looked back down at Yugi's face. He looked so peaceful…

I bit my lip and pulled the sheet back over him. I took a deep, shaky breath as I tried to fight another wave of tears. I then broke out into an intense coughing fit that caused me to stagger backward.

The doctor quickly reached me and supported me before I could fall over from the pain and lack of air. He sighed and directed me out of the morgue.

"Breathe in and out…carefully, now…you really shouldn't have taken that mask off…"

I listened to him and I my breathing eventually evened out just as we reached my hospital room.

"How did I get here?" I whispered softly.

The doctor sighed again. "You fainted soon after leaving the warehouse. It was either the shock of what had happened, the low levels of oxygen in your blood, or possibly a combination of the two."

He helped me over to my bed and I lay down. He placed the mask over my nose and mouth again and then inspected the needle and tubes.

"I'll have a nurse come in soon to reinsert this and reattach those wires…" he said, and I could hear the exhaustion in his voice. I winced. I knew that I wasn't being the best patient.

He turned around to leave the room, but he stopped before opening the door. "Visiting hours will be over soon."

I frowned in confusion. Why did I care? No one was going to visit me.

The doctor left, and the room was silent and empty once more…or so I thought.

I heard footsteps, and my head whipped around. When my eyes landed on the short, elderly man that was slowly approaching me, I understood why the doctor had made his last comment.

I reached my hand up for the mask so that I could speak to him, but the old man quickened his pace in time to swat my hand away.

"No, no…I don't need you to speak; I just need you to listen."

The pain in his voice broke my heart more than it already was. I nodded sadly and waited for him to begin.

His eyes wandered over my face for the longest time. I could tell he was imagining that I was Yugi, I could tell that he was pretending that his grandson was still alive.

That soon ceased, however, as we locked glances…he could see that I was not Yugi. Yugi's eyes were wide, childish, and friendly. Mine were dark, pained, and cynical.

"He loved you dearly, and I know you loved him."

Needles pierced my heart.

"You _both _saved me and the Kaiba brothers from Pegasus. You _both _were friends with Téa, Tristan and Joey…" he commented.

I frowned. I didn't understand what any of that had to do with anything.

Solomon Mutou smiled at me fondly. "Perhaps I don't know you very well; _spirit_, but I consider you family. You and Yugi had a lot more in common than your hairstyle."

His words made me smile, even after everything that had happened. If he was comparing me to Yugi, and calling me _family_, then I was honored.

"I came here to tell you that I want you to be my son, legally."

I blinked at him in utter surprise. Even if he had allowed me to speak, I wouldn't have known what to say. I had been the one that had put his grandson in danger, and I had been the one that his grandson had died to save…

He must've noticed the surprise in my eyes, because his smile faltered a bit. "I know that you must be hurting a great deal, much like I am. You and Yugi had a special bond…a bond that I can never hope to understand." He paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "I don't blame you for what happened to Yugi, spirit. He wouldn't blame you either, so you must not blame yourself! Yugi's destiny rested with you, all of this must've been predetermined…"

I squeezed my eyes shut as I considered his suggestion. The gods had planned Yugi's death? The gods had decided that I would get to live while he roams the Afterlife? None of it seemed fair, none of it…

"Life isn't fair, my son," Solomon stated as if he could read my thoughts. He stared deeply into my eyes and smiled again. "I would like you to consider it."

He stood up to leave, and once his back was turned, I reached up and removed my breathing mask.

"Would I still be able to call you grandpa?"

He turned around, a surprisingly genuine grin on his face. "Of course."

After he left, I replaced the mask and allowed my head to fall back onto the pillow. Even though I knew I could count on Grandpa to be my family, everything seemed so unclear. I didn't know what to do with my new life. I didn't know how to go on without Yugi…he had been my purpose, my partner.

Yet, even with him gone, I knew that I still had a destiny to fulfill…and I would be doing it alone.


End file.
